FAZILAT SOUKHAKIAN / Anonymous Battle

August 24, 2020 - August 21, 2021
On view at Snow College Karen H. Huntsman Library

This body of work explores the role of the Muslim woman in a changing Islamic society, and seeks to understand her life behind the veil. A revolution has emerged in many Islamic countries, a battle over what is accepted and unaccepted, what is right and wrong. A younger generation of mostly educated women, newly aware of their rights and powers gifted to them through a glance into modernity, has catalyzed a growing struggle between traditional and contemporary gender roles and identity.

Header image: An Anonymous Battle 5-2016, Fazilat Soukhakian

In the images, a contrast can be found between the veil and the woman’s pose. This is a reference to ancient Islamic culture and traditions, incorporating Persian literature and dance, where the woman was portrayed as a strong beacon, consistently forming the center of attention, desire, and love.

The younger generation is struggling to navigate the power held over them, grasping to find forms of freedom behind the façade of everyday life and activities. Islamic laws have long influenced the mind and body of the woman, and women are now demanding their equality in gender roles and sexuality in order to build a new, impartial, and balanced world for future generations in the Islamic world.

About the Artist

Fazilat Soukhakian is an Iranian artist, photographer and scholar. She received her undergraduate degree in photography from the University of Tehran in Iran. She moved to the United States in 2011 and received her MFA and Ph.D in Architectural History and Visual Studies from the department of Design, Art, Architecture and Planning at the University of Cincinnati. She considers herself a visual storyteller who observes and records her concerns regarding social and political issues that surround her as a means for social change and justice. Her work reflects on important issues concerning gender inequality, gender segregation, and the loss of national identity. Her photography projects have been shown in national and international exhibitions and she is the recipient of multiple grants and awards. www.soukhakian.com